About the leadership case
After an ownership change, a new president assured employees that his door was always open. When Pete introduced himself, the president’s distant response left him feeling dismissed. Later, a maintenance friend demonstrated a desk button that closed the office door. In the context of that cold welcome, the button reinforced a message to keep away. An open-door policy starts with how you treat the person who walks through it.
Learning objectives
- Explain how contradictions between a leader’s words and actions affect trust.
- Distinguish legitimate privacy and focus time from behavior that discourages access.
- Describe how a dismissive response can prevent concerns and ideas from reaching leaders.
- Identify concrete actions that make a promise of availability credible.
Four practical principles
- Match words with actions. Employees judge promises through everyday interactions.
- Make access meaningful. Acknowledge people and give them a clear way to be heard.
- Protect time respectfully. If you are busy, arrange another time and follow through.
- Respond constructively. Listen, ask questions and thank employees for speaking up.
Discussion questions
- Why did the ownership change make the president’s behavior especially significant?
- What did the first encounter communicate beyond the president’s spoken words?
- Would the button alone prove that the open-door promise was insincere? Why or why not?
- How could the president have protected his time while still making Pete feel welcome?
- What concerns, ideas or early warnings might employees withhold after a dismissive response?
Five-minute classroom activity
Put a promise into practice
In pairs, imagine a manager says, “I want your feedback,” but repeatedly interrupts employees. Identify the contradiction, rewrite the manager’s first response to a concern, and choose one action that would demonstrate follow-through. Agree on evidence the team could observe over the next week.
Key takeaway
Trust grows when employees can see that a leader means what they say. Availability requires respectful responses and dependable follow-through, alongside reasonable boundaries. A GOOD LEADER’S ACTIONS PROVE IT.
Use this case with your class or team
Watch the episode, choose a discussion question, and use the five-minute activity to connect the lesson to your own workplace or classroom. The printable guide contains the same learning objectives and questions.
Download the one-page learning guide · Explore resources for instructors and supervisors
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Companion book
Explore more real-world examples in Pete Maher's The Lean Leader’s Playbook. View the book on Amazon.
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